Automatic winder for spring-motors.



I. J. G. FREDERICK. AUTOMATIC WINDER FORSPRING MOTORS. APPLICATION FILED 421;. 14, 1914.

Patented Oct. 20, 1914.

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Speeification of Letters Patent.

.epplieati'ou filed April 14, 1914. Serial No. 831,775.

- To all whom it'may concern.

' and has particular reference to means forv keeping the springs wound- Be it known that I, FRANCIS J; C. FRED- ERICK, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Jersey City, in the county of.

Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Automatic Winder for Spring-Motors, of which the following is a. full, clear, and exact des ription;

This invention relates to spring motors,

ance with the extent of the winding and unwindin movements of the spring. or springs.

The oregoing and other objects of the 1nvention will hereinafter be more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the .drawingsforming apart of this specification in which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views,

and in which v Figure 1 is a verticalsectional new of a preferred embodiment of the invention on section on the line 2 -'--2 o Fig.1 Fig. '3 is a detail view as seen 1n the direction of the line 1-1 of Fig.2; Fi 2 is a horizontal the arrow 3 of Fig. 2.

The several'parts of the device may be made of any suitable materials, and the relative sizes and proportions, as well as the general design of the mechanism, may

beivaried to a considerable extent. without departing from the spirit of the invention hereinafter more fully described and speciii cally claimed.

Referring more particularly to the drawings I show, by way of illustration, a talking machine casing 10 in which is jou'rnalcd the vertical driven shaft 11 in any usual or preferred manner.

At 12 I show a pair of springs constituting a common form of driving means for the shaft 11 through a worm wheel 13 and worm 14:.

Ordinarily a spring motor of the character set forth is wound by rotating theshift 15 as by a hand crank. I provide, however, a rotary motor M for winding up the spring or springs, said motor includinga shaft 16 having a worm 17 meshing with a worm wheel 18 having speed, reduction gearing 19 connected with the aforesaid shaft 15. The motor may be located in any convenient "place withrespect to the casing 10 and is in circuit with a battery. 20 of any; suitable design or location. )Any suitable'gineans may be provided also to control the operation of the m0l301.i

The central shaft 21 associated with'the mo-tor'springs' 12 is journaled in bearings 22 Patented ecu-12o, 1914. 2

and 23, and at any convenient place is provided a pawl and ratchet mechanism 24 to.

control the rotation of said-shaft 21. When the shaft-leis rotatedto wind up the springs, the shaft 21 will likewise be rotated, the reverse movement of the shaft being prevented by the pawl and ratchet.

While thesprings. are being wound up, a

gear wheel 25 meshing with a gear 26 rotates a counter-shaft. 27. By a suitable arrangeinent of reduction gearing28, a peculiar form of c rcuit breaker including a semi-cylindrical member 29 is operated from the countershaft 27 coincidentally with the winding up of the springs. The reductiongearmg ust referred to is so constructed p and timed with respect to the length of the springs as tov provide-for precisely ahalf "rotation of the member 29.'while the springs are being wound up". As will be; noted from 3 r the last element 30 of the reduction gearing, the semi-cylindrical active portion thereof Figs. 1 and 3-, the member 29 is secured to";

being concentric as to its curvature with said element 30 but lying entirely atone side of the axis thereof.

The wires 31 and 32, constituting the -circuit including the motor and battery are connected to binding posts 31 and32 respec-' tively'on opposite sides of the circuit breaker 29.' The connection 31 may, if desired, constitute a ground for the, wire 31 through the mechanism including the shaft 30 and circuit breaker 29. The binding post 32', however, is insulated at 33 from the mechanism and leads to an arc-shaped bridge lying in the plane of the circuit breaker 29 and perpendicular-to theaxis 30. The arrangement of the bridge 34 is such as 60 just reach within the circumference, real or imaginary,

of the semi-cylindrical element 29; that is to I say, while the element 29 makesone com-.-

plete rotation, the curved surface thereof contact with the bridge 34 during exactly one half of said rotation, and during the other half the circuit breaker'isspaced from the; bridge 34 as shown inFigs. 1 and 3. The arrangement of the mechanism is such "that the shaft 21 always rotates in the same direction whether the spring is being wound up. or is runnin down, and since the extent 0- movement 0 the spring is the same as it is in unwinding, such movement corresponds precisely to the two effects of the circuit breaker 29 with respect to the contact -'-34.., In other words, the operation as to this feature of the invention may be briefly described as follows: When the curved surface of the member 29 engages the bridge 34, the circuit will be completed from the battery through the motor and the motor will operate to wind up the springs through the means abovedcscribed and causing the eler'nent 29 to rotate around the axis of the shaft 30, this action of the mechanism,includin the, motor, continuing so long as any part of the curved surface of the element 29 engages the bridge 34:. When, however, the ,element 29' passes .the bridge 34, the circuit is"broken and the motor is stopped. The

springs 12, however, subject to the usual controlling means for the machine, are adapted to run down, and in so doing the element 29 continues in its rotation around the axis of the shaft 30until the curved portion thereof 7 again contacts the bridge 34, when the motor will again be started for rewinding the springs. R

Since the fixed contact 34 lies or projects into the circumference or-circular path of the semicylindrical rotary contact member 29, there results a positive direct wiping contact or engagement between them. There is vno danger, therefore, of failure of the device to act because of corrosion of the contact surfaces or other reason. The structure also is of the simplest character with'respect to manufacture and maintenance.

7 Having thus described my. invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The combination with a spring motor and an electric motor automatically Winding the same, of a make and break device for the 'motor circuit, said make and break device including a semi-cylindrical member adapted to be rotated from the springs and a stationary contact lying in a circle coincidin with the circumference of said semicylin rical member, said semi-cylindrical member being adapted to directly engage the fixed contact while the spring motor is being wound up and being spaced from the contact while the motor 1s running down.

2. The herein described automatic winding device for a spring motor, the same comprlsing a battery, an electric motor in circuit with the battery, constant driving connections between the electric motor and the spring motor, a make and break device including a semi-cylindrical rotary member having constant connection with the shaft of the spring motor and also including a fixed contact member associated with the battery circuit, said fixed contact and rotary make and break device member being in direct wiping engagement while the spring motor is being wound up by the electric motor and .being spaced when the spring motor is running down. f In testimony whereof I have signed .my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. a

FRANCIS JENKINS (lltADi VGK FREDERICK.

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